You're Doing It Wrong
by Kyuubi's Angel of Darkness
Summary: In which Itachi needs to learn how to live his life and Sakura is unlike anyone he has ever encountered. She smiled brightly. "I can teach you how to see the world through a child's eyes and live like you should live." Curiosity peaked, he agreed.
1. Chapter 1: You're Doing It Wrong

**Hellooooooo! This is the first of the two chapter stories I will be releasing while on hiatus for _Untitled. _Welcome to the first chapter of _You're Doing It Wrong_! In which Itachi needs to learn how to live life and Sakura is unlike anything he has ever met. **

**For those of you waiting on the _Bring Your Pet to Work Day_ final chapter, you'll have to keep waiting. Sorry but I haven't even started writing it yet :)- Hopefully it won't take to long to write out, I already have most of it planned out so it should be out by next weekend. **

**I wanted to get this out and started though before winter break ends because it's been sitting in my little document management box for nearly two months and I was so excited about it. Hehe I'm releasing it earlier than I anticipated so I hope you all enjoy! **

**_Disclaimer: Kishimoto should thank God that I don't own Naruto. However, Saya is mine :P_**

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A little boy with long black hair tied back, carefully placed the delicate china plates with intricate designs painted on them on each place mat. With each plate, a white, cloth napkin was laid next to it while silver forks, knives, and spoons were nestled into the confinements of each napkin. Everything was perfectly centered and and the extravagent centerpiece in the center of the table complemented the plates and silverware greatly, the perfectionist nature of the boy wouldn't allow anything less.

"Itachi, go change. The guests will be here soon." A stern voice ordered.

The six year old nodded and silently excused himself to his room. On the way he passed Sasuke. The two and a half year old was happily drooling on a teething ring while he fiddled with one of the straps on his overalls. Itachi paused next to his younger brother and crouched down. He fixed the strap and pulled the ring from his sibling's mouth.

"You are much to old to be doing something as ridiculous as chewing on these flimsy rings of plastic foolish little bother." He scolded lightly. Sasuke merely tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Want to pway Ita-nii?" Itachi sighed and shook his head, wondering why his brother didn't understand that he would not play these childish games.

"Sasuke go see if Okaa-san requires your assistance."

Sasuke pouted, only understanding the words "_go to okaa-san_". "But who's gonna pway with me?"

"Our guests are supposed to have children close to your age. If you are polite when they arrive, maybe they will play with you." Sasuke's onyx eyes lit up in delight upon hearing about other children and he scrambled down the hall to wait with his mother for the guests. With his brother now gone, Itachi continued on to his room. He emerged only a few minutes later, wearing a dark crimson button up shirt, black dress pants, a black belt to hold the pants on his thin frame, and black dress shoes. His mother cooed when she saw him.

"Itachi-kun you look very handsome!" The Uchiha matriarch was wearing a long midnight blue dress that accented her body without being revealing. The deep blue brought out the color in her eyes and gave them a mischievous sparkle. Black heels adorned her feet and her hair was twisted in a complex array of braids and glass beads woven in, she looked stunning. His father simply nodded at him, wearing attire similar to his own but instead of crimson, he wore dark blue with a black suit jacket over it. Sasuke hopped in excitement.

"Will I get to pway with the childwen mama?" Mikoto giggled while Fugaku gave him a stern look that halted his actions.

"Sasuke this is a very important formal dinner that will decide the future of our company. If you wish to set a good example like your brother, you will behave and stop these foolish antics." At seeing Sasuke's downcast face Mikoto immediately moved to comfort her son.

"I'm sure you can play with the kids when they arrive as long as you are good and stay quiet. Okay Sasu-chan?" Sasuke smiled in excitement as his mother patted his head and straitened. All of the Uchihas glanced over at the door as the doorbell rang. Nodding at his wife, Fugaku motioned for her to get the door. Mikoto obeyed and opened the door to greet the guests.

"Hello Haruno-san! It is a pleasure to see you again! Please come in." She greeted pleasently. The man at the door gave a bow before entering and removing his shoes.

"The pleasure is all mine Uchiha-san. Please call me Daichi."

Mikoto returned the statement with a sunny smile. "Of course Daichi-san, you may call me Mikoto as well."

As Daichi Haruno moved further into the house to greet Fugaku, Mikoto greeted the woman standing in the doorway. She had long silver hair down to the lower part of her back and bright, nearly lime, green eyes. Her slim figure was hugged by a knee length emerald dress, feet covered by emerald, kitten heeled flats, and her hair had a small complecated knot done up in the back which was secured by chopsticks that had green designs and lettering. She smiled upon seeing Mikoto.

"Mikoto-san, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Saya. My my, you are certainly a stunning woman! Daichi never tells me anything so I was afraid we were having dinner with one of those old couples! I'm so glad to see I was wrong." Mikoto blinked at the woman's blunt statement then giggled happily.

"It's so nice to meet you Saya-san! You are the first to say that tonight. I swear Fugaku has the attention span of a fly! I get all dressed up and he doesn't even notice! I might as well have worn a trash-bag tonight!" she announced with a childish pout. Saya scoffed playfully.

"Men." Mikoto nodded in agreement before she spotted a small, chubby hand clutching Saya's leg.

"Is this your child?" She inquired. Saya looked surprised for a moment before she grinned brightly and pulled the hand out from behind her. A little girl was revealed, she had short, light brown hair and blue eyes. From her father's side Mikoto guessed for there was none of the exotic colors present that her mother possesed, but the shape of the girls face and her nose looked exactly like Saya's. The girl was in a pale blue dress that fell to her knees with baby blue trimmings on the collar and sleeves. Small white sandals adorned her tiny feet.

"This is my little angel Hana! Say hello dear!" The little girl moved her hand shyly, trying to hide behind her mother's leg.

"Hi." She squeaked. Her mother squeezed her shoulder in comfort.

"She's a shy little thing but she's as cute as a button. She's nearly two and a half!" Mikoto brightened.

"That's the same age as Sasu-chan!" Looking over her shoulder she called for her sons.

"Itachi-kun, Sasuke-chan! Come here please!" Sasuke bounced from the living room, which the men had retreated to, while Itachi bowed politely and walked slowly to the entryway.

"Sasuke-chan this is Haruno Hana! Would you like to play with her?" Sasuke jumped happily.

"Yes please!" Hana blushed at Sasuke's loud, excited tone but nonetheless walked over to greet the excited boy. Mikoto glanced over at Itachi apologetically.

"Sorry Itachi, it looks like you may have to babysit these two." Itachi nodded his head respectfully, but internally slumped over a bit in disappointment.

Saya tilted her head to the side. "Two?" Suddenly she gasped.

"Oh Kami-sama! Where has that crazy little demon gotten off to now?" Mikoto was most certainly confused after that outburst. She opened her mouth to ask who on earth Saya could be reffering to but Saya was to busy looking around and mumbling.

"Wait 'till I get my hands on that crazy kid... Teach her not to run off and try to create mayhem..." Hana looked at Mikoto, feeling bad for the poor hostess she murmured the answer in her shy little voice.

"Cwazy onee-san is always makin Kaa-chan wowwy."

"Nee-san? You have an older sister?" Mikoto wondered. Before Hana could elaborate any further, a triumphant "AHA!" reached their ears. Mikoto, Hana, Sasuke, and Itachi walked outside to see Saya with her hands on her hips, looking down at something she was blocking.

"Saya-san?" Mikoto asked, praying that her new friend wasn't crazy. Saya turned and smiled sheepishly.

"Eh-heh, sorry, little devil got away from me for a second." There was a muffled reply only Saya could hear. She scowled.

"I'll stop calling you the devil's child when you stop running off and picking up dangerous spiders and whatnot!" Smiling sheepishly once more she took a step to the side and revealed the girl behind her back.

"This is Sakura-chan, my oldest. She's three."

"Three and three-fourths Haha-ue please get it right." The girl sniffed.

"Whatever you little midget." Saya grumbled. Her daughter simply stuck her tongue out at her.

Itachi stared at the girl before him as if in a trance, not that anyone else would notice but it was most unusual for him to stare like this. She had waist long, slightly wavy, pink hair the shade of cherry blossoms. He certainly understood why she was called Sakura. Her green eyes sparkled in an unnatural way, it was as if millions of tiny emeralds had been used to color her irises. Her attire was certainly unusual. She wore a long dress made of pale pink, nearly white, flowery lace that looked as if it was from the Victorian era. From under her dress, the tips of what looked like combat boots stuck out. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a pink ribbon tied around it to make a bow. Her cheeks had a rosy tint and her lips were nearly blood red but Itachi guessed that had more to do with the chilly winds of December chapping her lips and tinting her cheeks versus the girl smearing make-up across her face. She bowed and Itachi was yanked from his trance.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mikoto-san. I thank you for inviting us to your home." She turned her large green orbs over to where Itachi, Sasuke, and Hana stood. She walked over to introduce herself while Saya chuckled nervously.

"Ah, Sakura-chan is a bit, _different_ than the other children her age." She murmured to the other woman as she walked inside with Mikoto.

Itachi found that to be the understatement of the year based on the girl's peculiar outift, oddly colored hair, and her formal yet elegant way of speaking. Then again who was he to talk? He was different as well. Considered an outcast by others because of his prodigal skills, he really had no place to critique this girl. Sakura stopped in front of the other children.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances." She greeted.

Sasuke looked confused. "What does aqwantinse mean?"

Hana shook her small head, her shy persona forgotten. "Onee-san uses weally big wowds, ignowe her. Let's go pway Sasuke-kun!" she chirped. Sasuke happily complied and followed the girl's lead into the house. Soon enough Itachi and Sakura were the only one's left on the porch. Sakura moved forward until she was standing right in front of Itachi. She seemed to appraise him, looking over every inch of his body with attention and intellect that a three year old shouldn't posses. It was rather amusing, watching this girl was like watching a grown woman trapped in a three year old's body. Itachi remained indifferent to her observation however and instead met her gaze with his own impassive one. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the girl stopped scanning him, frowning as if she had found something that displeased her.

"You're doing it wrong." She stated, her voice picking up a more childish, soprano like lit compared to her low, formal tone used moments earlier. Itachi blinked.

"I beg your pardon?" Surely he had misheard the girl.

"You're. Doing. It. Wrong." She stressed each word, pouting as she did so. Itachi glared.

"What exactly am I doing wrong?"

"It.

"And what is this 'it'?" She seemed happy to hear his question, it was like he was a student asking a question the teacher had been waiting all day to hear.

"You're being a child wrong." Itachi frowned at her statement. There was a wrong and right way to do this? Surely not, he was a prodigy! A master of everything thrown at him. Had he finally done something incorrectly in his life? Where did he go wrong? Sakura seemed to sense his confusion.

"Mister Prodigy is worried that he messed up really really badly." She teased while giggling. Her laugh was light and airy and filled with child-like innocence, the polar opposite of how she acted moments ago. He frowned at her. Sakura suddenly stopped laughing and fixed him with an unreadable look.

"I can teach you Itachi-san."

She smiled brightly. "I can teach you how to see the world through a child's eyes and live like you should live." He raised a brow.

"Really now?" She nodded.

"However, I require one thing."

Curiosity peaked, he agreed. "What do you require?"

"You have to be my friend. Forever and ever. No take backs. Okay Itachi-kun?" Her doe like eyes shimmered with hopefulness and slight desperation. It looked oddly out of character for the girl, even though he had just met her. He was surprised at her request but didn't question it.

"Okay."

She beamed. "Great! I can't wait to start Itachi-kun!"

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**And here's the end to the first chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed! Okay in order for me to post the next chapter, I want 10 reviews! If not, heh heh, say good-bye to your precious chapter 2. mwahahahaha!**

**If you didn't already know, Haha-ue is a more formal way of saying mother in japanese.**

**Clarification of ages: **

**Itachi is 6 and will be 7 in June, the month the story takes place in now is December.**

**Sakura is 3 and will be 4 in March, hence her saying she was 3 and 3/4.**

**Sasuke is 2 and will be 3 in July.**

**Hana is 2 and will be 3 in August.**

**Also, if I did a shitty job with explaining Sakura's outfit (wouldn't be surprised if I did), it basically looks like the dress Moka's mother (from Rosario+Vampire) wears. Only it is made up of white lace. Her hair is done the same way as well. If you want to look it up, just google Akasha Bloodriver and hit images. **

**Any questions? No? Good this authors note is long enough already.**

**Okay loves REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2: Rain

**Welcome! To chapter 2! I am sooo happy that I got such nice reviews! In fact, I decided to update the story even though I didn't get 10, I'm such a big softie. **

**T****he reviews I did get were worth a million reviews each though. You guys are really to good to me! You're all so sweet! Anyways, I hope to get the Bring Your Pet to Work Day last chapter out by this weekend (I'm finally ahead of schedule eh?). I'm trying to get this all out because school starts back on Monday. Oh the horror, the second semester of my ninth grade year is already here. Well that's enough of my rambling, I'll let you guys read the next chapter now.**

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sakura would have quite the little harem going with almost every single sexy male in the manga and they would most likely be her slaves. Since most of the sexy men in Naruto are now dead, (damn you Kishimoto!) I'm pretty sure this tells you whether I own Naruto.**_

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Itachi sat motionless in his room as he surveyed it. It was neat, tidy, not a single thing out-of-place. In fact it didn't look lived in at all, this was unusual for an adult, much less a small child such as Itachi. He turned his attention to the outdoors as the rain pounded against his window. He hated the rain. It gave him a lethargic feeling, soaked everything in its path, and put people in a gloomy mood. Of course he understood the importance of rain from a biological standpoint but that did nothing to increase his tolerance for the force of nature. His attention shifted once again to the papers lying on his desk. When he had brought them home, his mother had asked what they were and he had simply told her it was school work. She nodded and he had retreated to his room to study the papers where he had remained since.

The papers were not in fact school work. They were the records currently on file for Haruno Sakura. They hadn't been hard to retrieve, his uncle worked at the police station and the files were technically available to the public. He had received a strange look from his uncle after asking for the records but Itachi shrugged it off. He didn't have to explain himself to his uncle. Itachi was well-aware that it was extremely out of character for him to go through all this trouble just to find out information about a girl but he couldn't help himself. The girl had captured his interest, and many other things had failed to do so.

Never had he met someone so full of life and exciting in all of his six years. His mother was spirited, but she was an adult and there were always responsibilities and pressures that could worry and stress her. Sakura was full of life because she was a child. As mature as she was, she retained an innocent air and grinned childish grins. It was an interesting contrast to say the least.

If she had managed to grab his attention when others had failed, he supposed he could act his age for once and indulge in the thing he wanted to play with.

His dark eyes swept over the papers as he read.

_**Name: **_**Haruno Sakura**

**_DoB:_ 3/28/09**

**_Blood Type:_ O-**

There were other bits and pieces of information as well and Itachi continued to read over them. When he was finished, he simply stared out the window deep in thought. So her blood type was O-? Interesting, it was rare but that didn't surprise him as much as it could have. With her extremely odd hair color, she could have an extra arm and it wouldn't be that shocking.

Itachi couldn't begin to fathom why he found the information so interesting. He registered in his mind that her birthday was coming up, but he didn't understand why he found it important to remember.

_"Is this what it's like to have a friend?" _He questioned internally. _"Is it because that she is now my friend that I want to know these things?" _However, his genius six-year old mind couldn't come up with an answer. He had struck a deal with this girl though. He tried to tell himself he only wanted to know these things because the girl could be dangerous. Although in the back of his mind, he wondered how a three year old girl with pink hair could possibly be dangerous. Or even if she was dangerous, how would knowing her birthday help him?

The sky thundered loudly and the rain pounded harder against his window. He shot the weather an irritated glance, a scowl making its way onto his young face as he glared outside.

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There was an old saying that went like this: Speak of the devil and the devil shall come.

Itachi had never believed in anything more than he now believed in that. While he had been sitting in his room wondering how on earth Sakura could have gotten_ pink_ hair, Sasuke had been whining that he was bored. Which lead to him wanting to play. Which lead to him remembering no one ever played with him. Which lead to him remembering his new friend Haruno Hana who did in fact play with him. Which lead to him pestering his mother for Hana to come over. Which lead to his mother wanting to see her new friend Saya. Which lead to both coming over. Which lead to where he was now: sitting in his room with the very pink haired girl he had been thinking about.

They sat in silence, though Sakura seemed unperturbed in the heavy silence. She happily swung her legs back and forth while she sat on his bed next to him, humming a song Itachi didn't know. She finally broke the silence.

"Ne Itachi-kun, I like you in casual clothes." she chirped in her high, innocent, voice. Itachi turned to look at her, confused by her random complement. She stared back at him and then blushed.

"This is what friends do right Itachi-kun? They complement each other on how they look?" Itachi hadn't the slightest clue as to what friends did and it seemed that Sakura didn't either. He supposed her questions made sense though, he had seen his mother and her friends complement each other many times so he nodded.

"I like your outfit as well Sakura." she smiled a sunny grin.

"You can call me Sakura-chan Itachi-kun! I'm pretty sure friends call each other by using endearments." Itachi nodded, seeing the logic in that.

"Very well Sakura-chan." she continued to grin. Outside the thunder continued to rumble and the rain continued to pour. Itachi felt a scowl creep up on his face, Sakura noticed.

"Do you not like the rain Itachi-kun?" He nodded.

"I hate it." Sakura tsked and murmured the words he had heard only two nights ago.

"You're doing it wrong Itachi-kun." He blinked, wondering if those four words would soon become something like a catch-phrase for her.

"What am I doing wrong Sakura-chan?"

"You're not looking at the rain the right way." He grew puzzled.

"I'm not?" At his question, Sakura grinned a big, toothy grin. She stood up from the bed and tugged at his hand. He followed her as she led him to his closet. She disappeared inside for a moment and returned with a pair of ratty tennis shoes he had forgotten he owned.

"Put these on." she ordered cutely. He followed her instructions, watching as she put on her own shoes. When both had tied their laces, she took his hand again and led him downstairs.

"Sakura-chan, why are you holding my hand?" She shrugged at the question.

"I thought this is what friends do, I've seen it on television." He didn't know whether she was right or wrong so he continued to let her pull him through the house. He was surprised she knew her way around their large house but he contributed it to the fact that she was intelligent and probably had good memory. They soon stood on the porch, watching as the rain poured down mercilessly.

"Sakura-chan?" She merely smiled in response.

"This is the perfect time to teach you one of the ways to be a child Itachi-kun." He stared at her, completely baffled but his puzzlement turned into a look of slight horror as Sakura tugged on his hand and launched herself into the storm, effectively dragging him with her. He glared at her as the rain began to soak him to the core, wondering if she'd gone mad as she twirled in circles. Her waist long hair was plastered to her body as she peered up at him cheekily, emerald eyes flashing with barely concealed amusement. He could feel his own hair plastered to his face and back.

"The rain isn't something to dislike Itachi-kun." she chastised. "You're supposed to play in it, it's fun!" Itachi, for all the logic in the world, could not understand how Sakura found twirling in the rain in the forty degree weather, fun.

"I don't understand."

"It's rather difficult to explain but it feels magical. Adults see rain as something that will ruin their day and project sadness, philosophers see rain as Kami-sama or another deity crying for our sins. As a child, I feel like it's magic. Can't you feel it? Instead of tears, it's a blessing. We're being blessed by something that gives life and it's a magical feeling." Itachi tried to comprehend her words and he was once again floored by how mature Sakura was. Before he could give a reply, he felt Sakura grab his hands.

"You have to learn to dance in the rain Itachi-kun!" And she pulled him further out in the rain to dance with her.

It wasn't like any dancing he had been taught or watched at formal parties, it was wild and untamed. It held no pattern and was unpredictable. It was carefree, just like a child. Sakura spun in circles with him and jerked him around as her feet moved clumsily, she knew she was the opposite of graceful at that moment but she just opened her mouth and laughed. Her laugh was bright and carefree, and extremely contagious. Before Itachi knew what happened, he found himself grinning and chuckling. They danced wildly around the courtyard of the Uchiha mansion, laughing like the children they were. He halted her for a moment and twirled her like he had seen the adults do at parties, just to show her it was okay to be an adult sometimes. Her hair flew out in all directions as she was twirled but Sakura didn't seem to care. She shrieked with glee as he continued to twirl her. She tried to twirl him but found Itachi was too tall. So she settled for letting Itachi twirl her around the courtyard.

Eventually, Sakura lost her footing and tripped. She landed in a giant puddle, bringing Itachi with her. Both turned to look at each other, after a moment of silence, they burst out laughing. After they had their laughs under control, they stood and continued their erratic dance in the rain.

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Mikoto entered the kitchen to retrieve some tea for her and her guest. As she set the water to boil, she listened to Sasuke and Hana playing and Saya chuckling as she watched the two. Mikoto looked out the window and noticed the heavy rain. She frowned thoughtfully as she wondered where Itachi and Sakura had gotten off to. Her question was answered as she saw a black and pink blur outside. She gasped and pressed her face to the window. Peering outside she saw Itachi and Sakura moving around wildly outside in the rain. Mikoto got ready to call the two back inside, angry that they had gone outside without permission. She paused as she saw Itachi throw back his head and laugh. She hadn't seen her son laugh in a very long time and she smiled. It took a moment but she suddenly realized what they were doing.

"They're dancing!" she laughed happily. Mikoto watched as Itachi twirled Sakura around, much like a man would twirl his partner at a dance. She watched as both children laughed gleefully.

"_Thank you Sakura._" she thought. Against her better judgement, she turned, picked up the tea, and returned to the living room.

Leaving the two dancing in the rain.

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**Bam! There's chapter two! I hope you all enjoyed! I thought it was absolutely adorable.**

**The scene with Itachi and Sakura dancing in the rain was inspired by Elton John's _Tiny Dancer_. I was trying to figure out what to do for a rain themed chapter and the song came on my I-pod and I was like, YES! I had the stupidest grin on my face while writing the scene it was just to cute.**

**I am loving how this is turning out! I think it's so cute, Itachi and Sakura are trying to figure out how friends interact and their social awkwardness. **

**Just saying now, there is no romance yet. That won't happen for a while. For starters, Itachi is 6 and Sakura is 3. Right now, they're just getting to know each other as friends. They're dancing in the rain like most little kids do and Sakura is sharing her ideals in order to teach Itachi. Don't worry though, the romance will come. For now you will just have to be satisfied by the adorable, fluffy, chibi moments.**

**Now, I won't set a number requirement for reviews this time but I ask that you all review please. Those sweet reviews I read got me to get up, get my butt in gear, and turn this chapter out today. I hope I made those reviewers happy too! :) **

**Until next time guys!**


	3. Chapter 3: comfort

**Hello all! Here's chapter 3!**

**Before I start the standard disclaimer I wanted to address a few things. I received a review from someone who called themselves Anonymous. While I didn't take their review as an offense, I merely felt the need to defend my ideas and point out where I'm coming from in case anyone else felt this way. By no means am I trying to be rude to the reviewer because they took their time to review my story and give me criticism which I greatly appreciate, so I hope I am not offending them.**

**The first issue to address: Sakura's intelligence and speech patterns. The reviewer had stated that Sakura had to be ridiculously prodigal to be able to form thoughts like this and talk the way she does. While she is prodigal in a sense, she doesn't have to be ridiculously prodigal like Itachi is. My mother told me I was able to speak in full sentences and articulate my thoughts by the time I was one, and I was able to read on the level of an eighth grader in second grade. I'm not trying to brag haha, I'm just saying I'm probably one of the farthest things from a prodigy and I was still able to do that stuff at a young age. I had already mentioned that Sakura is very intelligent despite her age and showed you through Itachi that he thought watching Sakura was like watching a grown woman trapped in a child's body. It shows she is very mature for her age. Also, I feel that her ideas about the rain are actually very close to being something a child would relate to. I mentioned Sakura feels that the rain is like magic, most children her age tend to relate things they don't understand to magic. While I didn't specifically say if Sakura knew where rain comes from, I still felt that her relating the idea of rain being a magical blessing was something only children can see because of their innocence and general lack of knowledge. Because lets face it, as we grow older when we see rain, the first thing that will come to our mind is "oh great my hair is screwed" or "great I have to drive in ****_this_****?" We usually don't think of playing in it or seeing it as a blessing, unless we're thinking "yay the grass will grow." These are the ideas that Itachi has because he is in fact ridiculously prodigal and thus the reason Sakura tells him about magic rain.**

**Second point: If any of you have read my other stories, you will know that Haruno Saya tends to pop up from time to time. Saya is my OC and I have often portrayed her as being a slightly crazy person who has their morals twisted just a bit. She also gets excited at the littlest things for comedic relief. So for her to momentarily forget about her child (who she hinted likes to disappear and cause mayhem because of her curiosity) and then come up with a ridiculous teasing insult for her such as 'crazy little demon', or 'devil's child' is completely normal for her. I tried to make sure that she didn't seem too out-there to readers who are encountering her for the first time by adding the comment that Sakura seems to enjoy picking up dangerous spiders and giving Saya lots of sheepish smiles and laughs. However, if I didn't make it clear enough then that is my fault entirely and I will go back and clean up the dialogue if that is what you all wish. If you think about it, her personality is quite similar to Naruto's which is what I based her personality off to begin with.**

**Okay that's all my points! I am sosososo sorry if this offended anyone and Anonymous I really hope I didn't offend you. I'm sorry I picked on you but you helped me realize my points may not have been as clear as I thought so thank you for the time you took to review! I know you're all thinking "yeah yeah we get it Kyuu-chan! Now shut up and just get on with the story!" So I'll do that. Thank you to those who read my author notes and put up with the rambling I do! Without further delay, ONTO THE STORY!**

**Disclaimer: I actually ****_love_**** Itachi, Neji, Minato, Jiraya, aka all the good characters who are ****_DEAD_****! So how in the ****_hell_**** could I possibly own Naruto?**

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After their little adventure in the rain, Itachi and Sakura had gotten a horrible cold and had been confined to their beds for a little over a week. Now, in the early days of January, they were released from the confinements of their rooms and were free to do as they pleased.

Well within reason of course.

It was because of this that Sakura had felt the impulsive need to go visit her new friend. The three-year old walked down the block to the Uchiha manor with confident steps, admiring her surroundings and thinking of her upcoming birthday. She had left without her mother's knowledge or permission but knew she would be able to talk her way out of any situation her fiery tempered mother may create. Besides, they lived relatively close to the Uchihas and the town of Konoha was rather small so Sakura felt completley safe as she walked on. The wind blew softly and created a chill but thankfully she wasn't cold as her long-sleeved, lime green shirt fell a bit past her knees and covered up the holes in her jeans while her waist length hair kept her neck warm. Sakura giggled a bit as she thought of using her hair as a scarf.

She tightened her ponytail, a nervous habit, as she approached the gates to the manor. Sakura hoped that despite her sudden appearance, Itachi would have some free time. It wasn't often she had copious amounts of free time and now that she had a friend, Sakura wanted to play.

Tightening her ponytail one last time, Sakura reached up and rang the doorbell. She waited for a moment before the impressive door swung open and Uchiha Mikoto stuck her head out. Looking down, she smiled widely as she saw Sakura.

"Hello Sakura-chan! What brings you here today?" Sakura bowed low before answering.

"Good afternoon Uchiha-san. Might I be able to visit Itachi-kun?" She questioned. Mikoto beamed at the girl, pleased that her son had finally made a real friend. (His cousin did not count. They were family, Shisui _had_ to put up with Itachi regardless of the fact he liked him.)

"Of course dear, he should be in his room. Let me know if you need anything, and please call me Mikoto!" Thanking the Uchiha matriarch, Sakura made her way up the stairs to her friend's room. She knocked once before entering.

"Hiya Itachi-kun!" She greeted cheerfully. Itachi looked up from what he had been writing before nodding at her.

"Afternoon Sakura-chan." Was his unenthusiastic greeting. Sakura wrinkled her nose in a rather adorable fashion and tsked.

"Itachi-kun, please show more excitement when you greet someone. You're six years old, not a grown up." Itachi tilted his head to the side in a confused manner.

"How?" Sakura grinned at him.

"Just sound happy and smile! It's not like you have to shake their hand!" Itachi nodded at this and turned back to his work.

"What are you doing?" Sakura questioned.

"Schoolwork." To anyone else, the one worded comment would have been enough to send the room into an awkward silence. However Sakura just made herself comfterable on Itachi's bed and colored on a blank piece of paper she found.

"Do you want to play when your done?" She questioned. Itachi nodded eagerly.

"That would be fun." Sakura beamed at his choice of words and waited patiently for him to finish. Of course being only a toddler, her patience wore thin after twenty minutes.

"Itachi-kun, are you done yet?" She whined.

"Almost Sakura-chan." He replied. The pink haired girl huffed and tried to be patient. Thankfully for her, he was done after another five minutes.

"What do you want to play Sakura-chan?" Itachi questioned. She thought about it for a minute.

"Let's go to the park!" She cheered. Itachi nodded and they exited his room.

After telling his mother their destination, Itachi and Sakura exited the Uchiha manor and made their way to the park. It was on the other side of the small town but that was all right with Itachi. Sakura held onto his hand and chattered happily about trival things. The conversation had no point to it but Itachi enjoyed that. He didn't have to wrack his mind for sophisticated answers, or adjust a tie so it looked presentable, or listen to his father go on and on about his accomplishments to complete strangers who pretended to know him. It was nice to talk about what he wanted to talk about.

"Itachi-kun, what's your favorite food?" His answer was instantaneous.

"Dango." She giggled in obvious amusement and Itachi turned to look at her in question.

"I think others would see you as the type to eat boring food but I could see dango being your favorite food." Itachi chuckled a bit and the two continued on their way.

* * *

Sakura was an interesting girl, there was no doubt about it. However, in the few weeks of knowing her, Itachi often wondered how the girls personality came to be. He wouldn't go as far as to wonder if she was schizophrenic with another personality lurking somewhere in the back of her mind; but her almost constant switch from formal and distant with adults and strangers, to bubbly and informal when with him, well it made one scratch their heads a bit. Do not mistake him, because Itachi enjoyed the girl's happy persona and it was refreshing to see he wasn't the only child who had to grow up and speak like a scholar, he just had to wonder. Surely it wasn't her father who pressured her into acting like that, he seemed to much of a family man to want that. He didn't even have to wonder about her mother, she was a bit too, eccentric was the polite word.

While they strolled through the town, hands linked and each enjoying the company of their first real friend, Itachi found the answer to his thoughts and unasked questions.

It just wasn't the answer he had expected or wanted.

* * *

Sakura had been enjoying her afternoon. However, when she saw a familiar head of oddly colored brown hair, she stiffened minutely. Itachi being Itachi noticed immediately but before he could ask anything, the brown mop of hair was upon them. Ami Wanatabe sneered at Sakura.

"It's ugly forehead girl! Why are you here you freak?" Sakura gripped Itachi's hand a bit tighter before her eyes took on that cool and detached glaze Itachi had become familiar with.

"Wanatabe-san, I am merely enjoying a walk with my friend. It is a pleasant day is it not?" The five-year old's face scrunched up, obviously not understanding the vocabulary of the younger girl.

"Shut up freak! No one likes you!" She turned her attention to Itachi and blushed.

"You don't have to play with her, she's weird." At this Sakura lowered her head but her grip on Itachi's hand became unconsciously tighter. Itachi stared at Ami.

"Sakura-chan is my friend and I will interact with her as long as she wants." Sakura's face brightened a bit after hearing Itachi's words and she glanced at Ami.

"It seems we must be on our way Wanatabe-san. Please enjoy the rest of your day." Without another word, Sakura happily pulled Itachi away and left an angry Ami. Itachi turned to Sakura when they were a good distance away.

"Sakura-chan, why was that girl mean to you?" He honestly couldn't fathom why anybody would want to be mean to his friend. Though she was a bit eccentric, she was kind and smart. She gave him a sad grin.

"I don't know Itachi-kun. Sometimes that's just the way people are."

* * *

It continued on like this all the way to the park. They would pass other children who would seem to know Sakura, and every time they would hurl insults at the pink haired girl. Yet every time Sakura would counter their insults with polite words and a detached expression.

"Freak!"

"Ah, good day Kimiko-san."

"Your hair is strange!"

"Karin-san, I heard your mother caught a cold. I hope she has recovered."

"Your forehead is so huge!"

"Yamanaka-san, is your family business flourishing?"

There had been a point when they encountered Sakura's younger sister with a friend and said friend's mother.

"Hana-chan, isn't that your big sister?"

"Yep."

"Her hair's a bit strange." Hana blushed in embarrassment.

"Onee-san is weird."

"It's a good thing Hana-chan isn't like that!" Sakura smiled sadly.

"Hana-chan, please inform Haha-ue that I will be at the park." Hana nodded. When they moved away again Hana's friend whispered in her ear.

"Your onee-san talks weird." Hana nodded in agreement.

It was after these encounters that Itachi understood why Sakura would act so formal and distant. It was her precious mask to hide behind. She was bullied by others because of her exotically colored hair and largely proportioned forehead. Instead of becoming shy or angry, she simply learned to act distant and uncaring. With her above average intellect, it was easy to learn a more formal vocabulary that made her seem unapproachable.

It seemed to be this way with her family to. While Itachi could easily tell Haruno Saya loved her daughter very much, he could also see that the woman was unsure of how to interact with her obviously intelligent daughter. Coupled with her slightly crazy personality and you had a rocky relationship on your hands. It was the same with her sister, the girl just imitated her mother.

* * *

Completely lost in his thoughts, Itachi hadn't even noticed that they had arrived at the park. Nor did he notice when Sakura sat down at the base of a tree. However he did notice when he heard quiet sniffles and sobs. Itachi crouched down next to his friend.

"Sakura-chan?" He questioned unsurely. He received a hiccup in response. Itachi sat there, completely lost on what to do as his friend continued to cry. A few minutes later he tried a different tactic.

"Sakura-chan please don't cry!" He very nearly begged. "It's unbecoming." He added. At this remark, Itachi heard a weary giggle followed by the ever-familiar phrase.

"You're doing it wrong." Itachi gaped at his friend.

"What?" Sakura looked up from where her head had been buried between her knees, her red rimmed eyes looked at him in slight amusement.

"You're comforting me wrong. In fact you're awful at it." Itachi pouted ever so slightly.

"Well, I didn't know what to do! You just wouldn't stop crying!" Sakura actually giggled at him and Itachi felt his ears burn.

"You're supposed to say things that would make me feel better." Itachi thought on this for a moment before looking at his friend.

"Well, I thought those people were wrong." The pink haired girl across from him stared at him with interest.

"I think you have really pretty hair and even though your forehead is a bit big, it just means you're really smart and that you'll grow into it one day." He stated firmly with all the Uchiha confidence in the world. Sakura looked at him hopefully.

"Really?" Itachi nodded again. Sakura grinned happily and launched herself at her friend. She tackled him to the ground and hugged him tightly. Itachi spluttered a bit.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Hugging you! Friends do this all the time! Haven't you seen our mothers hug before?"

"Oh." After seeing no harm in the action, Itachi returned her hug. Of course he made sure not to try and squeeze her intestines out, much like she was doing with him.

"Thank you Itachi-kun." She mumbled.

"You're welcome Sakura-chan."

* * *

**Yay! Chapter three is done! Hehe, Itachi is becoming more open with Sakura now. Yay our cute little hero is discovering emotions! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'll update when I get and idea for the next one. :)**

**If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for a chapter, leave 'em in a review or PM me!**

**That's all for now!**

**ReViEw PlEaSe! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Brunch

**Hellooooo dear readers! Yes, finally an update! I meant to get a chapter out during spring break but you know how dear old Kyuu-chan can be... Tehe anyways here I am getting a chapter out aren't you all proud? Summer break is only a month or so away though so I should have plenty of more time to write then! Especially since I don't seem to have much of a social life... Hm that's a slightly depressing thought... **

**Ahem. Anyways, is anyone else excited about Naruto Movie 6: Road to Ninja coming out?! YAHOOO! I can't wait to watch it! I'm really just waiting for the website I use to post the japanese audio. (seriously, why is their first post in korean?) I hope you all enjoy this chapter! **

**_Disclaimer: What was the latest Naruto chapter about? Oh yeah, _FUCKING SASUKE_! So _obviously_, I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke as Kishimoto seems to want to call it._ **

* * *

It was early March in Konoha. The beginning of spring was upon them. Sweet blossoms from trees danced in the wind and the green grass poked out tentivley from their dead and brown brethren. This was the time when innocent giggles from children could be heard as they played in the streets and birds chirped happily as they soared through the air. Spring time was a beautiful time, in fact it was Mikoto's favorite season.

Sadly, there was one time in this glorious month that made even the sanest of people want to check into a mental institution. And as Mikoto walked by the kitchen, laundry basket in hand, she happened to glance at the calendar.

March the tenth. The laundry basket clattered to the floor.

Brunch with the Uchiha clan elders.

* * *

Being a woman, Mikoto had a brain that was gifted with womanly talents. One of these talents would be whipping up a marvelous brunch in a matter of an hour. Another talent is one commonly found among women, signaling other women in times of need. The signaling hadn't taken much effort but it didn't really matter in this case. Mikoto was going to fight fire with fire.

Or in this case fight against elders who would drive her crazy, with a woman who was perfectly capable of driving them bat-shit crazy.

Haruno Saya was on the way.

* * *

It seemed that she had gotten her and her children put together just in the nick of time. (Fugaku was on a business trip with Mr. Haruno and could not attend much to Mikoto's envy.) Right as she finished tucking Sasuke's shirt in, there was a firm knock on her door. She straightened, smoothed the wrinkles from her dress, and with a toss of her hair, went to open the door like the powerful and confident woman she knew she was.

She bowed slightly as she welcomed her guests in.

"Miyuki-baa-sama, Harui-baa-sama." She greeted pleasantly. She noticed each woman's husband was coincidentally absent today, how shocking.

"Mikoto-san." They replied snootily. Mikoto bit her tongue at the obvious bait, disrespecting her in her own home the nerve of them! She huffed silently, if they didn't want to show her respect by acknowledging her as the matriarch of this clan then that was fine, she had her own plan of revenge.

As always, Itachi remained utterly silent whenever these two particular elders were near. They had a nasty habit of trying to arrange his marriage whenever they visited. However, Itachi silently applauded his mother for holding her tongue and instead dropping some interesting news on the two visitors.

"I hope you don't mind ladies, but I invited my dear friend and her children to join us today." The two elders glared.

"Our meetings are strictly private Mikoto and are not places for street women as you so often invite to events." They spat. Mikoto narrowed her pretty midnight blue eyes.

"She is the wife of a successful CEO that Fugaku has made a partnership with." Well that shut them up rather quickly.

"What about the children?" Harui asked.

"Hana-chan is Sasuke's age and they can be put down for naps easily. Sakura-chan can just play with Itachi-kun like they usually do-" Mikoto cut herself off as she realized her mistake. The elders immediately pounced.

"So the young heir has found someone suitable to court." Miyuki stated more than questioned. Mikoto gulped and snuck a glance at her son. He looked as impassive as ever but she knew that this subject with the elders could lead him to question his friendship with Sakura. The matriarch steeled herself, there was no way she would let these old-timers take her son's first real friend! Her next words she choose carefully.

"Itachi-kun has only known Sakura-chan for a short amount of time. Of course there is also the fact that he is much to young for anything of that sort to be considered." Harui snorted.

"There is never an age too young for a clan as prestigious as ours." Miyuki nodded eagerly.

"Is she acceptable material for a bride?" She pressed. Mikoto nearly bit her lip in two as she tried not to scream at the elder women for treating Sakura as if she was a mere object. Before she collected a suitable reply, the doorbell rang.

_"Oh no! Sakura-chan is here!" _Suddenly, inviting Saya-chan didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.

* * *

Saya and her daughters entered the Uchiha home like they always did. Sakura bowed formally to Mikoto and murmured, "Uchiha-sama." and then, noticing her hostess had guests, walked up to the Uchiha elders and bowed low.

"I am Haruno Sakura. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances Uchiha-samas." Then she straightened and walked over to Itachi, her trademark ponytail swinging side to side as she gave him a hug while chirping, "Hello Itachi-kun!" This was her normal behavior and under normal circumstances it would have been perfectly fine. However, it only served to add fuel to the fire and the elders grinned almost manically as they watched their precious heir recuperate the hug and murmur, "Sakura-chan."

Mikoto paled a bit as she noticed the looks the elders were sporting and shot a panicky glance at her confused friend.

* * *

The children finished their brunch quickly and were sent into the house while the adults continued their brunch outside. From where they sat, the children were easily observed. Hana and Sasuke sat in front of the television, mindlessly staring at an American children's show that had something to do with a purple dinosaur. Sakura and Itachi relaxed almost lazily on the couch with their hands loosely linked and Sakura innocently leaning against her friend. Their mouths were moving so they were obviously having a conversation. Knowing Itachi and Sakura, it was probably shogi strategies they were discussing. Both children looked sleepy and their eyelids fluttered every once and awhile. At any other time, Mikoto would have gushed at the adorable scene. With the elders present though, such an act would have the two children married off faster than a heartbeat.

"Obviously they are perfect for each other Mikoto, I don't see why you try to put this off!" Harui exclaimed. Said woman glared.

"They are children! Itachi is six and Sakura is nearly four!" She protested hotly.

"I agree with Mikoto-chan Uchiha-samas, I don't think I feel comfortable with you discussing marrying my eldest daughter off while she is still a child." Saya stated, for once uncharacteristically serious.

"Think of the good fortune it would bring though!" Miyuki started.

"And they are already so comfortable with each other!" Harui finished. The silver-haired woman sighed tiredly and exchanged glances with her dark-haired friend. Mikoto shrugged a miniscule amount, obviously at a loss on what to do.

* * *

"Tachi-kun?" Sakura murmured sleepily while blowing a stray hair out of her face.

"Hm?"

"What are the adults talking about? They keep sending glances over here." Itachi cracked an eye open and sure enough, the elders were staring and talking rather heatedly with the two tired mothers. Itachi sighed.

"The elders are probably trying to convince our mothers that we should be married immediately." Sakura gaped, now wide awake.

"What?! That's crazy! We're kids!" Itachi made a non-committal hum, choosing to try and bury his nose in his friend's nice-smelling hair.

"Do they do this often?"

"Hm."

"Well how do you get them to stop with the nonsense?"

"I ignore them." Itachi replied, hoping that Sakura would take a hint so he could fall asleep. Obviously she was a bad influence on him, he couldn't remember a time where he felt so lethargic.

"Itachi-kun."

"Hm?"

"You're doing it wrong." Itachi sighed, he wouldn't be able to sleep now.

* * *

Sakura entered the garden gracefully. As she approached the adults, she stopped and bowed.

"Uchiha-samas," she began in her usual detached voice. "It has come to my attention that you wish for myself and Itachi-kun to engage in a courtship." Mikoto and Saya sweat-dropped a bit, did all children speak so formally or was it just their eldest?

"Indeed young Haruno-chan." The slight smile Sakura had been wearing turned saccharine. Saya gulped, she had seen that smile a few times and she knew her daughter was about to put her above average intellect and diplomatic smart mouth to use.

"Then wouldn't that be my decision and not yours?" Harui's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I mean you have no jurisdiction over my decisions and technically neither do you over Itachi's." the pink haired girl continued.

"How dare you speak to us that way!" Miyuki shouted.

"I speak to you as I would normally any person Uchiha-samas. I am merely stating a fact, you have no relation to my family and therefore cannot interfere with my business. Besides, I am much to young to be considering something like marriage." The elders hung their heads, knowing the girl had them beat. They wouldn't be able to manipulate her when she had such a strong will. Mikoto and Saya silently cheered while Sakura excused herself to return to the house.

Sakura clenched her hand, she wanted Itachi's hand back in it. She liked holding his hand, it gave her a warm feeling that made her happy. She hummed happily to herself, glad she had such a good friend.

* * *

Omake

Itachi sat on the couch with his younger brother and Hana. He tried valiantly to stop from staring at the television but he couldn't. Sasuke and Hana giggled happily while watching the dinosaur sing and dance.

_"This is foolish." _He thought.

_"Besides what kind of ridiculous color is purple?" _No matter hard he tried, he couldn't avert his eyes. Much to his horror, he discovered he was actually humming along with the song the purple dinosaur was singing.

"I love you! You love me!"

_"Lies! I do not love you!" _Where was Sakura when you needed her? He needed an intellectual person to converse with.!

"Itachi-kun?" Thank Kami-sama.

While Sakura tried to get Itachi to talk with her, she grew frustrated. Why was Itachi still watching that purple dinosaur?!

* * *

**Ahaha end! I couldn't resist that omake. Lol Itachi can't stop watching Barney.**

**Sorry that this was shorter than usual guys but I did say that these chapters would have completely random lengths. **

**Did you like the cute little scene on the couch and Itachi trying to bury himself in Sakura's hair? Tehe Sakura showed those elders! And she's slowly gaining feelings for Itachi! LET THE FLUFFINESS CONTINUE!**

**I hope you all enjoyed! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5: bath

**Chapter five is here! I know it took way too long! And these chapters are always too short in my opinion. Bad Kyuu-chan, bad. There's really no excuse for this terrible lateness. So just roll your eyes at Kyuu-chan's shameful sloth-like behavior and read the chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, (even though it's short like I'm sure my lifespan will be if I keep delivering such short content to my wonderfully patient readers...)**

_**Disclaimer: I'm almost positive I don't have to say this. I'm just your average american teenage girl you know? Pretty much the polar opposite of Kishimoto, AKA the person who actually owns Naruto.**_

* * *

Saya and Mikoto considered themselves to be excellent mothers despite all the titles that they had. They were both married to extremely wealthy and extremely successful CEO's, had two children, and were expected to be at the top of the food chain when it came to knowing the latest scoop and the ins and outs of society.

They were expected to be role models to other women, the perfect wife and just models in general. They were expected to be perfect. Some would think all these expectations would make it difficult to raise two children but they thrived on the challenge.

However, the challenge didn't come in the form of the ever-lasting demands. It came in the form of their eldest child.

Uchiha Itachi and Haruno Sakura.

Don't mistake them, they loved their children to death but they just couldn't fathom how to, handle them.

Sakura and Itachi were geniuses, prodigies, disturbingly mature, it didn't matter what they were called. They just weren't considered normal. Now with the clan elders pushing for the two to marry-they were just toddlers for Kami's sake!- the two hadn't ever seemed farther from normal children their age.

Saya and Mikoto wanted their children to be normal, just for a day they wanted for them to experience the carefreeness that came with being a kid. Not pouring over advanced textbooks and being more articulate than the average adult.

The two young mothers watched their children while sitting in the garden. Sasuke and Hana were playing in the grass and cheering as a butterfly fluttered past them. Sasuke threw dirt at Hana and she recuperated wholeheartedly. Both laughed as the essence of the earth stained their faces and clothes, not caring how dirty they got. It was simple and it was carefree. Meanwhile Sakura and Itachi...

Were pouring over a book. An advanced looking book at that.

Lime green and midnight blue eyes slid towards the heavens, as if the answers to their problems were there.

While anyone would agree that Itachi and Sakura were perfectly matched in every way, the two tended to bring out bad habits in each other. Itachi was teaching Sakura that pouring over an advanced mathematics book on a nice late winter day was _fun_, and Sakura was teaching Itachi on how to be even more distant with adults then he already was. They did it unconsciously mind you, but still bad habits were bad habits.

They loved their children, they loved their children, they loved their children.

"What do normal children do together Mikoto-chan?" Saya questioned gloomily with her chin in her hand.

"I don't know Saya-chan." She responded with equal enthusiasm.

"I suppose something like Sasuke-chan and Hana-chan over there." The Uchiha matriarch continued. They perked up a bit when they saw Itachi start to braid Sakura's long pink hair. He wove the pink strands carefully while gently combing his fingers through it. If Saya knew her daughter like she knew she did, she was positive that Sakura was practically purring. Sakura _loved_ having her hair played with. They smiled serenely at the children.

"They really are perfect for each other aren't they Saya-chan?" Mikoto murmured happily.

"Yeah." Saya hummed dreamily. Both mothers knew that both children were years and years away from ever considering something beyond friendship but that didn't stop the two women from reflecting that their child had probably found the other half of their soul. They continued to enjoy the moment they were witnessing before Saya's brow furrowed.

"What an interesting braid Itachi's doing..." Mikoto squinted and could finally make it out.

"He told me the other night that he looked up some little known and rarely used hairstyle for Sakura-chan. I guess that's it." The two slapped their foreheads in unison.

_"A normal braid would have sufficed just fine Itachi." _They thought exasperatedly. Their attention swiveled to stare at Sasuke and Hana who were now rolling in the dirt and oinking at each other.

"I guess Sasuke-chan and Hana-chan will need a bath." Saya giggled.

"It looks like it." Mikoto tittered. They looked back to where their eldest where. Sakura was trying to weave flowers in Itachi's hair and he countered by taking them out and putting them in her own hair.

"It seems everyone will need a bath!"

The two sat in contented silence before the answer hit them like a speeding truck.

"THAT'S IT!" They shouted triumphantly.

* * *

Itachi and Sakura had been having a flower war of sorts and discussing her upcoming birthday, the braiding of hair long forgotten. Sakura was laughing at a particularly stubborn tulip that seemed just fine with making it's home in Itachi's hair when they heard their mother's shout something unintelligible. They looked up in confusion and Sakura turned to ask Itachi what had happened but the three year old suddenly found herself scooped up in Mikoto's arms. Her emerald eyes studied Itachi in confusion who had discovered he was suddenly held in her mother's arms.

"Haha-ue, Mikoto-san?" Sakura questioned. She didn't receive an answer and the next thing the two children knew, they found themselves in a bathroom, stripped down, and thrown in a tub filled to the brim with warm water and sudsy bubbles. They came up spluttering.

"Okaa-san? What are you doing?" Itachi asked his mother. Mikoto gave an angelic smile and splashed each child lightly with a few bubbles.

"You two will be taking a bath together of course!"

"Bath?" They echoed. Saya grinned happily.

"Yes bath! Now go on and clean up you two! We'll be back to check on you after we finish with Sasuke-chan and Hana-chan!" With that the two mothers vanished in a flurry of giggles and happy chatter.

Sakura stared at her friend.

Itachi stared right back.

Sakura blinked.

Itachi blinked.

Sakura suddenly gave a wicked grin and splashed Itachi with a ridiculous amount of the soapy water.

He glared at her.

She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Itachi-kun, you're doing it wrong!" She sang. He merely lifted a brow at her.

There was no way she was going to tell him that he didn't know how to properly bathe.

"Itachi-kun, what do you think all of this water and these bubbles are for?"

Apparently she _was_ going to tell him he was bathing incorrectly.

"To assist us in getting clean Sakura-chan." Sakura gave him a patient look one would typically assume when dealing with a particularly dense child. Even if she was his best friend, Itachi didn't appreciate it so he pouted slightly.

"Nope!" She said, popping the p.

"All of this is so we can have a splash war." Sakura spoke with a tone so serious, one would think the statement was one of the ten commandments. However, Itachi seriously doubted that having a splash war was the reason people took baths with water.

"I find that to be illogical Sakura-chan." She splashed him again. This time he had enough sense to move out of the way.

"Shame Itachi-kun, shaaaaame. What have I been teaching you these past few months?"

"How to correctly conduct my behavior in the manner of a child." She beamed at him.

"Good. Now, splash wars are very serious things Itachi-kun. No adult can comprehend them. This is why as children, we must take the responsibility and enjoy it for them."

"Sakura-chan." He stated. For him, this was the closest he had ever come to whining. She pouted at him.

"Itachiiiii-kuuunnn!" She retaliated. The boy gave a world-weary sigh, admitting his defeat. Neither Itachi or Sakura had realized it yet, but Sakura had Itachi wrapped tightly around her little finger. Recognizing his acceptance, Sakura gave a triumphant grin.

And then proceeded to use both arms to create a large wave of bath water and send it straight at Itachi.

The six year old spluttered and wiped water out of his eyes. He narrowed his eyes at his pink haired friend.

Oh it was on.

Raising both hands in the air, he brought them down on the surface as hard as he could. He took great satisfaction after seeing Sakura get completely drenched. His gaze immediately turned to one of concern as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she coughed violently. He quickly moved towards her to hug her.

"Sakura-chan! I'm so sorry-"

"Gotcha!" With that, she dunked his head underwater. When he came up, coughing and shaking his head like a dog, they stared hard at each other for a few seconds.

Tactics were completely disposed of and the two began splashing water at each other at random. The rapid movements of small hands caused water to fly everywhere, nothing was safe from the toddlers' water war.

* * *

Mikoto and Saya each gave a satisfied sigh as Sasuke and Hana slept in the crib in Sasuke's room.

"Goodness, they were quite the rowdy little ones." Mikoto commented. Saya nodded her agreement, to tired to say anything. Inside the crib, Sasuke oinked in his sleep and twitched. Both mother's giggled and quietly exited the room.

"Thank goodness Itachi-kun and Saku-chan are capable of washing themselves up. I'm so tired from washing Hana-chan and Sasuke-chan." Saya exhaled.

"Yeah. At least they can entertain themselves while we relax!" Mikoto responded enthusiastically. They approached the bathroom door where Sakura and Itachi were and opened it. The two mothers stared at the scene before them in shock.

Water. It was _everywhere_. It dripped from the ceiling, formed large puddles on the ground, soaked the towels, light fixtures and counters. In fact, the only place water didn't seem to be was in the bathtub. A thoroughly drenched Sakura was the first to notice them.

"Haha-ue, Mikoto-san." An equally soaked Itachi was next.

"Okaa-san, Saya-san." Saya and Mikoto stood there, unable to comprehend the watery destruction before them. Without a single word, they slowly backed out of the bathroom and closed the door.

Inside the bathroom, Itachi and Sakura exchanged a glance then shrugged.

* * *

**And there we have it. The chaotic bath time comes to and end, at least it does for Mikoto and Saya. All of this fluff makes me want to puke and coo at the same time. **

**Interesting conflict of feelings, I'm not gonna lie. Especially since I shouldn't feel like puking while writing my own stories...**

**Anyways, review and tell me you like? Any suggestions as well are welcome. Seriously. It's hard to think of this stuff sometimes. **

**Until next time guys!**


	6. Chapter 6: birthday

**Hello! Here we have the sixth chapter! It's out a bit earlier than I expected though, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. The reason may be I'm having a bad case of writer's block right now for _I remember you_ so sorry, that won't be updated for a while. The plot is there, the words just don't wanna go on the space I provided, inconsiderate jerks. **

**It's especially hard having to write all of my chapters for anything on Itouch notes. I really wish I had my own computer. Or at least a word doc program of some sort in the family computer that turns crashing into a sport... Geez my eyes burn. -_- **

**Anyways on a brighter note, this is the longest chapter yet! Reaching about 2,500 words not including my lengthy as usual authors notes. Yay! I hope you all enjoy this chapter featuring Sakura's much awaited birthday! At least it was much awaited for me :P**

**_Disclaimer:__ I own like all of, three characters in this story. All OC's and all mine! Other than that small claim to fame, I own nothing._**

* * *

Six year old Itachi was usually the epitome of calm. Almost nothing could faze that boy.

_"But,"_ Mikoto thought amusedly, today Itachi was _fretting_. One would never be able to tell but she was his mother and if there was one thing Mikoto prided herself on, it was being able to read her two sons like an open book. His eyes were deeply engrossed with the wall in front of him and the corners of his mouth twitched minutely every so often, a telling sign he wanted to frown.

So it was with barely concealed amusement that she watched her eldest son subtly fidget at the breakfast table. Fugaku was out at work and Sasuke was still sleeping so she knew it would be the perfect time to ask her son what was troubling him. Of course she already knew, but it would have to be another day when Itachi learned that a mother was all knowing. Today, she wanted him to be able to speak to her on his own instead of her probing for answers. She knew he would speak soon, it was unlike him to not talk to his mother.

She watched and waited with good-natured mirth sparkling in her eyes as Itachi tapped the table anxiously with his fingers and shifted in his seat.

"Okaa-san." Itachi began uneasily. Mikoto tried to school her amusement as she answered patiently.

"Yes Itachi-kun?" He fidgeted some more and seemed to have an internal debate with himself.

"I am... Unsure..." He trailed off and Mikoto poured him some more tea, which he gratefully accepted.

"Unsure about what dear?" She prompted softly. Itachi's brow furrowed and his lips turned down a fraction. Not all of his baby fat had melted away yet and Mikoto resisted the urge to pinch Itachi's slightly pudgy cheeks as her son silently contemplated what to share with her.

"I am unsure of what to get Sakura-chan for her birthday." He finally confessed, dark eyes shining with slight distress at his predicament. Mikoto silently chuckled and smoothed her son's shoulder length hair in a soothing gesture. Sakura's fourth birthday was only a week away and it seemed Itachi was having a difficult time with the concept of buying a present for his first friend.

"It's okay Itachi-kun, that's what I'm here for." Itachi frowned and wanted to point out to his mother that her logic was irrational, the reason she was put on this planet was not so she could help him pick out gifts for his best friend. However, he remained silent and waited to see what she would say next.

"What does Sakura-chan like Itachi-kun?" He only thought for a second before Itachi blurted out the first thing that came to mind in an uncharacteristic display of slight exasperation.

"She likes telling me I'm wrong." Mikoto covered her mouth and laughed at her son's miffed expression.

"Well then we know she's defiantly a girl." Itachi chose not to comment on that statement, of course Sakura-chan was a girl. Did his mother doubt his intelligence? The young Uchiha matriarch laughed softly at her son's unamused expression.

"Why don't you get her a necklace then?"

"A necklace?" Itachi echoed.

"Yes, Sakura needs something nice to cover her neck don't you think?" Itachi's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Would a scarf not be a more appropriate choice then?" Mikoto giggled and looked into Itachi's dark eyes.

"A scarf isn't as personal Itachi-kun. Don't you want to get Sakura-chan something memorable for your first year of knowing each other?" He considered the idea before understanding lit up the boy's gaze and he nodded quickly. Mikoto patted his head.

"Good, now go on and get dressed and I'll take you to the store to find a necklace." She shooed him off and went to go wake Sasuke.

Itachi raced up the stairs, a small smile marring his usually impassive face. He dressed into black shorts and a black shirt with lighting speed and quickly brushed his teeth and pulled his hair back into it's customary short ponytail. He was back downstairs and standing by the door in a matter of minutes ready to go.

It was then he realized that he had to wait for his mother and Sasuke.

Since no one was around, Itachi deemed it alright to release a small pout and resisted the urge to whine like a child his age. He settled for trying to imagine what kind of necklace he would get for his best friend.

Sakura wasn't the overly girly type and while she did occasionally indulge in wearing something with slight frills, Itachi knew he couldn't get her anything really girly without either child feeling uncomfterable.

He briefly considered something related to her namesake but just as quickly crossed that thought out. He found the idea a bit too cliché and he was certain that Sakura would not appreciate the bad joke at the expense of her name. She claimed while it was bad enough that she was named after a plant that quickly died, it was even worse that her features were distinctly related to the cherry blossom.

No, this had to be original. It had to be unique. It had to be _perfect_. Sakura may have been teaching him how to behave like a normal child but Itachi was a perfectionist by nature. No amount of teachings would be able to change that. It was this stubborn nature that demanded he use the best of his abilities to find Sakura the perfect gift.

Thankfully for Itachi, he only had to wait a few more minutes before his mother came down holding Sasuke and wearing an amused expression.

He wondered what she thought was so funny.

"Are you ready Itachi-kun?"

"Hm!" Mikoto beamed at her son's excited hum and watched as he raced out the door. She shifted Sasuke in her arms.

"This is getting exciting ne Sasu-chan?" Sasuke looked at her, his chubby cheeks scrunching up in confusion.

"Kaa-chan?" The Uchiha matriarch giggled and pinched Sasuke's cheeks, smiling fondly as he tried to swat her hands away and whined. Soon she was out the door, following her eldest's unusually quick pace.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking through town, Mikoto had eventually taken her sons to a quaint jewelry store, it had always been one of her favorite stores in the city of Konoha because of the range of items sold. She was sure Itachi would be able to find whatever necklace he wanted here. Itachi was left to his own devices while she struck up a conversation with the owner of the store.

"Mikoto-san, it's so lovely to see you again."

"It's nice to see you to Haru-san." The elderly man grinned at her.

"What are you shopping for today Mikoto-san? Anything I can help with?" A proud smile graced the woman's lips.

"Not today Haru-san. Ita-kun is going to buy a birthday present for his first friend!" The owner looked pleased.

"That is indeed a special occasion. Is he searching for anything in particular?"

"I'm not sure to be honest." The conversation switched to other various topics after that. Each subject only touched upon for brief minutes.

Meanwhile, Itachi roamed the store, mentally critiquing each piece of jewelry as he passed. He had long since deducted that it would be a wise idea to stay away from anything extremely sparkly. So he moved from shelf to shelf near the back of the store. His midnight blue gaze drifted over necklaces with various charms. Crowns, flowers, initials... a sake bottle? He tried to imagine Sakura wearing each necklace but the image he conjured up didn't seem right.

Itachi sighed in slight irritation. He needed to find something and it had to be perfect. He ended up searching for a few more minutes. Nothing caught his attention. Grumbling to himself, the six year old was about to go inform his mother that he couldn't find anything when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face the item and he examined it closely.

A large grin split Itachi's face, a rare occurrence, and he quickly composed himself before tottering off to his mother. However, he could not keep the small, smug, smirk off his face.

This was perfect.

* * *

Mikoto took one look at Itachi's self-satisfied smirk and knew her baby had gotten what he came for. He looked like an extremely pleased cat with a bowl of milk and the young mother couldn't help but giggle.

"Did you find what you were looking for Itachi-kun?"

"Hai." To anyone else, it would have sounded like a particularly dull answer but Mikoto had never heard her eldest son so cheerful sounding. She gaped for only a moment before a large grin spread over her features. Her smile softened as she saw the item resting in Itachi's small hands.

Mikoto reached into her purse to pay for the necklace but Haru stopped her.

"This one is on the house Mikoto-san." She spluttered.

"But Haru-san!" He held up a hand.

"You've been coming to this store for years Mikoto-san, you're like family. Besides, that necklace is special."

"Well then all the more reason to pay for it!" The elderly man chuckled before he turned to Itachi.

"Listen here Itachi-kun, I'll give you that necklace but I need you to answer a question for me." Itachi nodded, his eyes watching the old shopkeeper intently.

"Are you giving that necklace to someone special?"

"Hai."

"How special?" Itachi raised a brow, he was only supposed to answer the one question wasn't he? Haru chuckled.

"Just humor an old man Itachi-kun." Itachi glanced at his mother as he thought, she was staring at him too. She must be wondering how important Sakura was as well. He finally answered.

"I don't know how important Sakura-chan is." He answered truthfully. His mother looked disappointed while the shopkeeper had a twinkle in his eyes.

"But, that necklace will be my promise to Sakura-chan that we will always be friends. So I have forever to figure out how important Sakura-chan is."

Mikoto smiled happily. This was all she needed to see. This small moment in Itachi's life where she could see the determination in his eyes that only a child would be able to possess. His hands clenched to prove his promise, hands that were still chubby and not capable of doing adult tasks like so many believed. Eyes narrowed in concentration, eyes that were not yet angular and retained childish innocence. She realized her son was still a child, still a little boy. A fact she may not have completely understood if Sakura had not entered his life. She still had time with her son. At that moment, Mikoto had never been more grateful to anyone in her life.

Haru grinned.

"A brilliant choice of words as usual Itachi-kun. The necklace is yours to take, why don't you come back in a few years and I'll explain the meaning of it ne?" Itachi's brows furrowed, could he not just tell him now? Judging by the face of the old man though, he wouldn't be getting anything out of him for _at_ _least_ a few years.

"Hai." Still smiling, Mikoto took Itachi's hand and lead him out of the shop after bidding goodbye to the old man.

"Kaa-chan, I wanna treat to!" She giggled.

"Maybe later Sasu-chan."

* * *

"HAPPY BIWFDAY TO SAKUWA!~"

The party was held at the Uchiha manor. It was a small party, consisting of just the two families.

Sasuke and Hana had sang happy birthday as their gift to Sakura. It had been off-key, _loud_, and lacking the correct usage of phonetics, but Sakura had thanked them happily nonetheless. The two had then run around the house on a complete sugar high until recently where they all but passed out in Sasuke's room.

The adults had retreated to the parlor after giving Sakura their gifts, where the beginnings of a poker game could be heard.

This left Itachi and Sakura sitting in the garden, silently gazing up at the moon.

The now four year old girl was the first to break the comfortable silence unsurprisingly.

"Itachi-kun, I was lucky to have a full moon on my birthday ne? It's very pretty." He hummed his agreement and turned to face her. Her bright green eyes sparkled brilliantly in the night as she shifted over and looked at him curiously, long pink hair taking on a rather silver tint.

For once, his extensive vocabulary failed him and all he could think of was, _pretty_.

Itachi was of course, completely unaware of the slight red color to his cheeks.

"Close your eyes." She stuck her tongue out at him but did so anyways. Once her startlingly mature gaze disappeared beneath pink lashes, Itachi pulled the necklace out of his pocket. He studied it one more time before slipping it over her neck and pulling her hair from under the chain. Sakura's eyes shot open at the unfamiliar weight resting on her neck. She looked down and gasped.

"Itachi-kun! It's so pretty!" She brought the small half circle of the white yang closer to her inquisitive gaze. Itachi pulled out the other half, the black yin, from beneath his shirt.

"This is my promise to Sakura-chan." He stated seriously. She searched his gaze, emerald eyes practically glowing with wonder and happiness.

"Sakura-chan told me she would teach me if I promised to be her friend. This is that promise." Her eyes had started to tear up, Itachi really hoped that wasn't a bad thing.

"I, Uchiha Itachi, promise I will always be friends with you, Haruno Sakura. Best friends." He had felt proud of himself and was certain she would love his gift. No matter how young, the Uchiha pride was instilled in every member.

Imagine his utter horror when she let out a small sob and launched herself at him. Itachi wondered what went wrong as he frantically tried to soothe her.

"You don't like it Sakura-chan?" He didn't have time to wonder at the heavy feeling in his chest. She cried for a few more moments. Just as he was about to ask again, he felt her tiny fist meet the back of his head gently and the young heir blinked in surprise.

"Baka." Sakura whispered from somewhere near his shoulder.

"Of course I like it. In fact I love it."

"Oh." He stated rather dumbly.

"Then why are you crying?" She pulled back to look at him and he was surprised to see a large grin on her face through the salty tears working their way down her cheeks. His mind seemed to be willing to work again and supplied him with the correct word.

_Breathtaking_.

"Because I'm happy Itachi-kun, no one has ever done something like this for me."

"Oh." Then she was hugging him again and though he was missing some vital oxygen, he found he wasn't willing to break out of the childish bear hug. He felt like something was missing though. After a few moments he finally figured it out.

Her ever present catch-phrase.

When he gleefully pointed this fact out, she merely gently bonked him on the head again and giggled.

"Well, you can't always be wrong Itachi-kun."

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**So that ends chapter six. Sorry for the lack of catch phrase lol but Itachi can't _always_ be wrong haha.**

**I hope you all enjoyed! Oddly enough, this chapter was inspired by Mulan 2. I watched the part where Mulan's parents are like here you can have our necklaces, happy wedding! I was like, oh hey! There's chapter six.**

**Yay for chibi fluffiness!**

**Btdubbs, I hope to be releasing another one of my infamous crack one-shots soon. It'll be titled _Good Girl Gone Bad: The Musical _so please keep an eye out!**

**With that said, please review? I would really like for this story to reach 50 reviews! Would you guys be up to the challenge of getting it there? :)**


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